Afterpay: What to Do If You're Falling Behind

• Best option: Use Help in the Afterpay app (24/7 chat), or submit a request through Afterpay’s secure hardship form.
• Afterpay Support: 833-844-8095, available 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m.–9:30 p.m. ET If you’re struggling to pay, let them know you’re experiencing financial hardship and ask what options may be available for your account.

“Afterpay” can mean a couple of different things depending on how you checked out, and the rules differ between them:

Pay in 4, a purchase split into four equal installments, generally due every two weeks, with no interest and no fees as long as you pay on time. A late fee can apply if a payment is missed.

Pay Monthly, a longer-term installment loan for purchases generally over $100, available in 3, 6, 12, or 24-month terms, underwritten and issued by First Electronic Bank. Pay Monthly is a simple-interest loan with APRs that can run up to about 36% depending on your eligibility and the merchant, but importantly, Pay Monthly has no late fees and no origination fees.

Afterpay via Cash App, since 2025, Afterpay has been integrated into Cash App (both owned by Block, Inc.), letting eligible Cash App users access Pay in 4 directly in that app Since the fee structure and payment rules genuinely differ between Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly, check which one your balance is under before assuming anything here applies directly to you.

Afterpay’s installment structure can make individual payments feel small and manageable, which makes it easy to lose track of how many you actually have open across different stores. A job loss, a medical bill, or just a tighter month than usual can turn a handful of small payments into more than you can keep up with all at once.

That’s not unusual, and it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. It just means it’s worth knowing exactly what happens if a payment doesn’t go through, and what Afterpay actually offers if you’re struggling.

For Pay in 4, Afterpay says it may charge a late fee if an installment remains unpaid after the applicable grace period, which is usually 10 days unless your payment schedule says otherwise. The late fee can be up to $8 per missed installment, and Afterpay charges only one late fee per installment. Total late fees on an order generally won’t exceed 25% of the original order value.

But the account consequence starts sooner than the fee. As soon as you miss a payment, Afterpay immediately pauses your account, so you can’t make new purchases until you’re caught up. This can happen even before a late fee applies. Your spending limit may also decrease going forward, since your repayment history, including payments made within the grace period, is one of the factors Afterpay uses to set that limit.

Pay Monthly works differently: it has no late fees and no origination fees. Interest continues to accrue on the outstanding balance regardless of whether a payment is on time, and Afterpay caps the total interest so what you owe won’t increase beyond what’s disclosed in your loan agreement.

For Pay in 4, Afterpay lets eligible customers change the due date of a scheduled payment themselves through the app or website. There are real limits on this, though:

You generally can’t reschedule the first or last payment through the self-service feature (contact Afterpay directly if you need help with those) A payment that’s already overdue, due within 24 hours, or tied to a travel-services order can’t be moved Brand-new customers (fewer than 42 days since their first purchase) can’t use this feature If you’re already on a hardship repayment arrangement, this self-service option isn’t available There’s a limit on how many payment moves you can make per calendar year Pay Monthly due dates currently can’t be changed through this feature, since the date is fixed for the life of the loan. If you’re struggling with a Pay Monthly payment, contact Afterpay about hardship assistance instead.

If you’re looking into what happens with an Afterpay late payment, here’s genuinely good news: Afterpay has a dedicated financial hardship process for customers who are struggling with their repayments.

Financial hardship, in Afterpay’s own words, simply means you’re having trouble keeping up with repayments because your circumstances have changed, whether that’s job loss, illness, a natural disaster, domestic violence, or something else. Afterpay says its hardship team will review your circumstances and work with you to determine what assistance may be available. Depending on your situation, that could include:

Shorter-term help, like moving one or more payment dates, if that’s enough to get you back on track Longer-term help, like a new payment plan that lets you pay down your balance in smaller amounts over a longer period The exact solution depends on your circumstances, so don’t assume you’ll receive a particular arrangement before Afterpay reviews your request. If Afterpay agrees to a longer- term plan, your account will stay restricted from new purchases until the balance is paid off and Afterpay approves reinstating it, and your spend limit may be reviewed and reduced when it’s reinstated.

To apply, submit a request through Afterpay’s secure hardship form, reach out via Help in the app, or call 833-844-8095. Before agreeing to anything, ask:

• What will my new payment schedule look like?
• Will any late fees already charged be waived?
• Will I be able to use Afterpay again once this is resolved, and under what limit?
• What happens if I fall behind again during this arrangement?

Save any confirmation you receive before relying on it.

Credit-reporting rules for buy now, pay later products are changing across the industry, and different Afterpay products can have different terms. Don’t assume Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly are treated identically for credit-reporting purposes. Check the agreement for the specific Afterpay product you’re using, and ask Afterpay directly how a delinquency or a hardship arrangement on your account may be reported.

If a third-party debt collector becomes involved later, separate credit-reporting and debt- collection rules may apply to that stage.

Yes. Unpaid consumer debt, including a BNPL balance, can lead to a collection lawsuit if it goes unresolved. That doesn’t mean a missed Afterpay payment automatically ends up in court, but if you receive an actual summons or complaint related to an Afterpay balance, don’t ignore it. Missing your response deadline can result in a default judgment against you, which is much harder to undo than answering the suit on time.

For a full breakdown of how debt lawsuits work, your response deadlines, and what a judgment can mean, see our complete guide to debt lawsuits.

If you’re behind on Afterpay, or you can see it coming, here’s how the paths generally stack up:

Reach out to Afterpay about its hardship process as early as you can. This is a real, structured option, not just a phone call and hope.

If a shorter-term fix will do, ask about moving a payment date before committing to a longer repayment plan (subject to the restrictions above).

Know exactly what you owe and to whom if your balance has already moved to collections, and get everything in writing before paying anything.

Credit counseling may be useful if Afterpay balances are part of a much larger debt problem. A nonprofit counselor can review your full financial situation and explain which accounts may be eligible for a Debt Management Plan and which may need to be handled separately. See our guide to credit counseling for more.

Debt settlement may be worth discussing if your unsecured debts have become unaffordable, but don’t assume Afterpay or a future collector will offer a settlement or a particular discount. If one is offered, get the terms in writing before paying. Our debt relief guide walks through how that process generally works.

Bankruptcy may be worth discussing with a qualified attorney if Afterpay balances are part of a larger debt problem you can’t realistically repay. How a particular balance is treated can depend on the type of loan and the facts of your case. See our bankruptcy guide for the basics.

The right option depends on how far behind you are, how many separate BNPL balances you’re juggling, and whether the debt has already moved to collections. If you’re not sure which fits your situation, a free consultation with a debt relief specialist can help you sort through it.